Thursday, March 29, 2012

Spain: Sevilla, Part I

I can't say enough good things about Seville.  Seriously, I could have stayed there the entire week!  Our hotel, the newly-renovated Hotel Alfonso XIII, is a historic gem.  It was built to house heads of state during the Ibero-American Exposition in 1929, and opened with a banquet hosted by the king and queen! Our bedroom and bathroom were to die for... I was in heaven just in our hotel.

Hotel Alfonso XIII

The other great thing about out hotel?  Location, location, location!  We were walking distance to everything we wanted to see and visit.  The weather was much warmer than in Madrid, and we took advantage of it every day.  We took some time to sample the tapas; I really enjoyed the shopping and food near our hotel.

Sevilla
We did a bus and walking tour once we arrived, and one of my all-time favorite places was the Plaza de España.  Another work of art built for the Ibero-American Exposition, it was featured briefly in Star Wars: Episode I.  I just couldn't get over its beauty; Dad really loved it too.  Probably one of my favorite spots in the world, to be honest!


Plaza de España






Dad didn't get to take the tour of the bullring in Madrid, so I made sure that we took a tour of the Plaza de Toros in Sevilla!  Even though it was smaller in size (seats 14,000), I loved the bold colors; the ochre paint was my favorite.  It was a great tour with a small museum, and I learned about the history of bullfighting.  The tour guide was knowledgeable, and answered my questions patiently.  :)  I think Dad really liked seeing where the action happens.  The season opens this week, so we were able to see them preparing the ring.  One fun fact: it's an ellipse, not a circle, and you pay different ticket prices based on if you're in the sun or the shade, especially in summer!

Plaza de Toros



1 comment:

  1. Ahh, memories. Plaza de España was one of my highlights as well, I could have spent hours people watching there!

    ReplyDelete

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